CASTLE, HONOUR AND MANOR

The vill or manor of HERTFORD was demesne of the
Crown and was granted by
William I as the 'lordship of
Hertford,' (fn. 1) together with the mills of Hertford and
the manor of Bayford, to Peter de Valognes, Sheriff
of Hertfordshire. (fn. 2) A confirmation of the two mills
of Hertford cum suo alio feodo with multure and
works (operatione) of the burgesses, was made to
Valognes by Henry I, (fn. 3) and the Empress Maud confirmed the manors of Essendon and Bayford and the
mills of Hertford to Roger de Valognes, son of Peter. (fn. 4)
These two latter grants probably did not include the
lordship. (fn. 5) The grant to Roger seems to have been
for life only, for in 1154–5 Henry de Essex, the
sheriff, was accounting for the manor of Bayford (fn. 6) as
well as for the farm of the borough of Hertford. (fn. 7)
The terms 'manor,' 'borough' and 'vill' are used
interchangeably at this date when the whole of the
lordship is meant. (fn. 8)

In 1249 Henry III granted the vill of Hertford to
William de Valence for life. (fn. 9) On the death of
William in May 1296 the vill
reverted to the king. (fn. 10) He
entrusted it to a succession of
farmers, (fn. 11) who were continued
until Edward I gave it to
Queen Margaret. (fn. 12) The queen
transferred it to Aymer de
Valence, who obtained a royal
confirmation in 1309 and in
1317 a grant of Hertford in
fee. (fn. 13) His widow surrendered
it ten years later and gave up
all claim to it. (fn. 14) The vill and
honour were assigned at once
to Queen Isabel in increase of
her dower, (fn. 15) and after her fall she received a
re-grant. (fn. 16) In 1360 Edward III granted Hertford to
John of Gaunt, then Earl of Richmond, (fn. 17) a gift which
was confirmed by Edward III in 1376 (fn. 18) and by
Richard II in 1377. (fn. 19) The manor and vill descended
with the duchy of Lancaster (fn. 20) into the hands of
Henry IV, and after his death were held in dower
by Queen Joan. (fn. 21) In the reign of Henry VI they
were granted to the dowager Queen Katherine, (fn. 22) and
later to Henry's queen, Margaret. (fn. 23) Edward IV
granted them to Queen Elizabeth Woodville, (fn. 24) who
held her first court at Michaelmas 1465. (fn. 25) In 1553
Edward VI granted the manor and castle of Hertford
to Princess Mary for her life. (fn. 26) Prince Charles
received a grant of the castle and manor in October
1609 (fn. 27); and after his accession he granted them in 1630
to William Earl of Salisbury, (fn. 28)
whose successors have since
held the manor. (fn. 29)

Valence. Burelly argent and azure an orle of martlets gules

John of Gaunt. The royal arms of EDWARD III with the difference of a label ermine

Duchy Of Lancaster. ENGLAND with a label azure.

Katherine of France and Margaret of France. Azure three fleurs de lis or.

Elizabeth Woodville. Argent a fesse and a quarter gules

These grants of the manor
include the king's rights over
the borough. An extent of the
manor taken in 1331 begins
with 'the castle of Hertford
and the borough there held of
the king in chief.' (fn. 30) The
profits include the fishery
belonging to the borough, the
fluctus aquae from Hertford to
Waltham, the meadows called
King's Meads, the two watermills, the rent called hawgavel
(see above), the custom called 'aletol,' the profits of
the market and the tolls at Ware, Thele and Hatfield, the fairs and the court leet. (fn. 31) The 'issues of
the manor' are first distinguished about the middle
of the 15th century, (fn. 32) probably for convenience in
accounting. The grant to the Earl of Salisbury
included the fishery of the demesne water of Hertford,
the meadow called Castle Mead, ten osier beds in
the river and the tolls appurtenant to the castle and
honour. (fn. 33) The water-mills (which were then held
on lease) were excepted, (fn. 34) also the tolls of the market
and fair, of which a grant had been made to the
mayor by James I.

Cecil, Marquess of Salisbury. Barry of ten pieces argent and azure six scutcheons argent with a lion sable in each with the difference of a crescent.

The soil and fishing of the Beane 'from the east
end of Paper Mill Mead to Goodes Pool and in the
waters called Black Ditch, Manifold Ditch and the
other ditches to the east of Chadwell Mead' were
granted to the mayor and burgesses by Charles I in
1627. (fn. 35) Of the paper mill Cussans says 'the site of
the mill was probably near the old waterworks, for
the channel through which the water flows to the
River Beane is still known as Paper-mill Ditch.' (fn. 36)
A paper-mill is mentioned in 1498, and was probably
the earliest set up in England (see Sele Mill in
St. Andrew Rural). (fn. 37)

The court held at Hertford in the 14th and 15th
centuries did the work of a manorial court while
choosing burgesses and guarding burgess right. (fn. 38) There
was no distinction between the jurisdictional area of
town and manor. The charters of Elizabeth and
James gave the borough a weekly court of record, (fn. 39)
with which the older courts were probably fused.
This explanation at least fits the contemporary statement 'that there are certain courts leet and baron
held, and the mayor has used to be instead of the
(lord's) bailiff time out of mind' (fn. 40) (1621). After
1630 these manorial courts were held for the 'manor
and castle' by the officials of the Earl of Salisbury, (fn. 41)
in accordance with the theory that a manor must
have courts leet and baron. There is record of these
courts as late as 1773. (fn. 42)

The castle of Hertford is situated on the flat,
low-lying land on the south bank of the River Lea. (fn. 43)
It seems to have been one of the castles thrown up
after the Conquest to form a ring of defence round
London. The earthwork defences consisted of a
double ditch on three sides, the space between them
widening considerably on the south-west to form an
outer ward. The ditches communicated at either
end with the main course of the Lea, which sufficiently
defended the north-west face. There was also a
small artificial mound which still exists at the extreme
northern angle of the curtain wall, but there is no
evidence that this was ever surrounded by a separate
moat. The masonry parts of the castle under the
name of the castle of Hertford and the king's houses
in it, which would probably include the keep, the
curtain wall and the houses in the bailey, were
apparently begun by Henry II in 1170. (fn. 44) They were
under the charge of Henry the Chaplain or Henry
the Deacon, William the Parker, Wigar, Azur, and
Robert Crassus, the three last of whom were burgesses
of Hertford. (fn. 45) Large sums of money were paid out
by the sheriff on the building operations during the
years 1171, (fn. 46) 1172, (fn. 47) 1173, (fn. 48) and 1174. (fn. 49) In 1173
the work was so far advanced that the castle was fully
provisioned against the insurrection of young Henry,
the king's eldest son, (fn. 50) and in the following year
occurs the last payment for building operations for
some years, so that the work was evidently then completed. This is confirmed by the fact that the castle
was in this year garrisoned by knights and sergeants. (fn. 51)
Lesser sums, probably for repairs, were paid in 1182 (fn. 52)
and 1183. (fn. 53) A shell keep similar to that at Berkhampstead evidently crowned the mound already
referred to. With the exception of portions on the
southern side the ditches are now all filled in and
levelled, but their extreme limit outwardly is marked
by St. Andrew's parish boundary, and the total area
of the castle site is about 7¾ acres.

The existing remains belong entirely to the inner
ward, which was in form an irregular pentagon surrounded by a curtain. This wall, built of flint rubble,
much patched and re-faced with red brick, is still
standing on the eastern and southern sides. It varies
greatly in thickness from 5 ft. to 6 ft. upwards, and
with the exception of the parapet is standing to its
full height. It terminates at the southern angle in a
small octagonal tower (internally 12 ft. in diameter),
partially ruined, and evidently built to defend the
postern which adjoins it on the east. The postern
has a pointed arch quite devoid of ornament and
dating from the 13th century. The curtain is probably
somewhat earlier in date. In the centre of the western
face stands the Tudor gate-house, a rectangular structure of red brick with octagonal projecting turrets at
the four corners, that on the south-east being carried
up above the roof. This building forms the northern
half of the house known as Hertford Castle and has
been much altered in the 18th century, when the
southern wing was added on the line of the curtain
wall. The windows are all of that date, as is the
pseudo-Gothic corbelling and embattled parapet.
Traces of the western or outer arch of the gate-house
are to be seen behind the modern porch, and above
it is a sunk stone panel bearing a coat of arms (said
to be that of the Tudors, but now too much decayed
to be identified) with supporters, and surmounted by
a crown. The inner or eastern arch of the gate-house
is now transformed into a window.

The internal arrangements of the castle are preserved in an Elizabethan plan at the Public Record
Office, prepared by Henry Hawthorne about 1582 or
1592, when the courts of law were temporarily moved
to Hertford owing to the prevalence of the Plague in
London. The plan is unfortunately mutilated and
what remains is in two fragments, (fn. 54) but the main
apartments are shown grouped round a central courtyard with the great hall on the eastern side. With
the exception of the fireplace backs and chimneys the
walls are shown so thin as to imply a timber-framed
building carried on dwarf walls, traces of which
have from time to time come to light under the
present lawn and garden. The hall was an aisled
building of three bays with screens and two porches
at the northern end and a square oriel and a fireplace
at the southern. On the plan it bears a close resemblance to the great hall at Ashby Castle (Leicestershire). The offices at the northern end are by no
means clear, and the only apartment with a fireplace
large enough for the kitchen is that marked Court of
Requests. (fn. 55) To the south of the hall is a square courtyard, surrounded on three sides by an open timber
cloister, and with a small oratory projecting into the
court at the south-east angle. The great chapel
probably occupied the first floor of one of the wings
shown projecting eastward from the main building.
The great angle bastion on the curtain wall has now
completely disappeared. It was, however, still standing
in 1772, and is shown in a view in Grose's Antiquities. (fn. 56) On plan it formed the segment of a circle
about 60 ft. in external diameter. The brick wall
built across the gorge is still in part standing and is
of the time of Henry VIII. On the outer face are
traces of the newel stair with a sunk brick handrail.
The second fragment of the MS. plan shows the
bakehouse and other buildings in connexion with
another angle bastion, in this case open at the gorge.
It seems impossible to place it anywhere else but on
the site of the earlier keep, in which case the keep
ditch, if it ever existed, must have been filled in and
the keep itself destroyed late in the Middle Ages.

Hertford Castle:The Gate-house

These plans and the existing remains are explained
and illustrated by documentary evidence. The residential part of the castle had been built before 1199,
when a sum of £5 was spent in repairing the hall,
and the chapel is mentioned in 1202. (fn. 57) No doubt
the castle suffered severely in the siege at the end of
the reign of John, which would account for a sum of
£10 from the farm of the vill being assigned to the
constable for the repair of the gate in 1225. (fn. 58) In
April of the same year a mandate was issued to the
sheriff to pull down the houses which had belonged
to Falkes de Breauté (fn. 59) at Little Berkhampstead,
and to build them up again in the castle of Hertford. (fn. 60)
The old hall, the old chapel, the brewery, and the
marshalsea (marescalcia) were left at Little Berkhampstead, but in July of the following year the king
ordered that the domus marescalcie should also be
brought to Hertford and built up there. (fn. 61) In 1300
the hall, chamber, wardrobe, kitchen and paling were
repaired, in 1301 the bakehouse and other houses,
the walls and bridge, and in 1302 the houses, bridges,
outer gates and the chamber over the gate. (fn. 62)

From the 14th to the 17th centuries there are a series
of surveys of the castle. The earliest of these, dated
1327, (fn. 63) is a survey of the defects with the estimated
cost of their repair. Mention is made of (1) a
certain chamber without the outer bridge in the
entry of the castle and a certain other chamber
adjoining the outer gate; (2) the middle bridge with
a certain chamber adjoining the outer gate of the
same bridge; (3) a certain bakehouse against the
same gate and a granary adjoining the bakehouse;
(4) the great chamber called the King's Chamber
with two chapels adjoining the same, the kitchen and
the lesser hall; (5) the great hall of the king with
two chimneys adjoining the same and two garderobes; (6) a certain chamber without the postern
and the drawbridge beyond the same postern; (7) the
stone wall in the circuit with the tower of the same
castle and the two chimneys of the two chambers
aforesaid; (8) the wooden stockade next the outer
ditch, 'which is in many places prostrate on the
ground.'

The next two surveys are couched in general terms
and give little information as to the buildings of the
castle. That of 1522–3, (fn. 64) however, mentions that
there is 'a fayre river runnynge alonge by the Northside of the said Castell and the water of the same
Ryver serveth for and to all the houses of Office
within the same Castell and arere a very litle garden
grounde, but there is a fayre courtyarde and large
which is almost finished rounde aboute with fayre
[houses].'

The survey of 1558–9 (fn. 65) refers only to the general
dilapidation of the buildings, 'as well in timber work
as in tiling, glazing and leading, dawbing, sealing
and ironwork,' and computes the cost of repairs at
£80.

Thirty years later the castle buildings were again
in a bad state of repair, and a fourth survey (fn. 66) (dated
1587–8) indicates that many of the apartments
required entire rebuilding. Mention is here made
of the privy kitchen, the serving place with the
scullery, the bakehouse, the rooms over the pantry,
the passage between the court and the bakehouse,
the shed towards the kitchen, timber for the chapel
end, the lodging where my Lord Treasurer did lie
in the term, the bridge towards St. Andrews, the
house in the castle yard next the water with the
chimney and the west gable end, the old gate-house in
the castle yard. Many of these buildings may be
identified on the Elizabethan plan and the majority
of them appear to have been of timber. The 'Castle
Yard' was evidently the inner bailey and the 'bridge
towards St. Andrews' is distinctly indicated on
Speed's view.

The greater part of the buildings were pulled
down early in the reign of James I. In a survey of
the extent of the castle dated 1609–10 (fn. 67) it is stated
that 'there are standing upon part of the site of the
said castle one fair gatehouse of brick, one tower of
brick and the old walls of the said castle and also
three old houses without the walls.' The site contained 7 acres and 3 roods, part called the 'Castle
yard' being fenced with stone and part unfenced
called the 'Castle ditches'; 'the utter bryme of the
utter ditch' being bounded by the king's highway
called Castle Street on the south and east. With the
exception of the three old houses and the tower of
brick, evidently the south-east bastion, this survey
represents fairly accurately the still existing remains
of the castle.

The most important period in the history of the
castle was the Civil War in the reign of King John.
Hertford and Berkhampstead were both taken by the
barons in 1215 and were held until the following
year. The defection from Louis of France then
began and was followed by the surrender of the
castles. (fn. 68) At the end of the same year Hertford was
besieged by Louis. The castle seems to have been
bravely defended by the constable Walter de
Godarvile, but after a siege of nearly a month it
surrendered, (fn. 69) probably having no further supply of
provisions.

The castle was used as an occasional residence by
most of the kings of England whilst it remained a
royal castle. (fn. 70) After the grant in dower made to
Queen Isabel in 1327 (see above) she stayed at the
castle from time to time and died there on 22 August
1358. (fn. 71) The next year King John of France was
lodged there during his captivity in England. (fn. 72) John
of Gaunt received a grant of the castle at the same
time as the manor (see above) in 1360, and bought
large stores of timber from his neighbours, who did
not dare to refuse him, in order to fortify it.
According to the chronicler Walsingham, one of his
grievances when he retired from court in 1377 was
that the king had taken possession of the castle of
Hertford, where he had meant to spend most of his
time. (fn. 73) The castle was, however, confirmed to him
by a grant of the same year. (fn. 74) It seems to have been
chiefly between 1396 and 1399 that he used it as a
residence. (fn. 75) The castle came again to the Crown
on the accession of Henry IV, and in 1428 was
appointed one of the summer residences of the
Crown. (fn. 76) In 1424 there is mention of the Bishop of
Durham surrendering the great seal in 'the great
chamber in the castle of Hertford.' (fn. 77)

In the itineraries of Henry VIII Hertford Castle
appears with the royal houses of Hunsdon and Hatfield. (fn. 78) The Princess Mary was staying there when
Wriothesley brought her a proposal of marriage from
Philip Duke of Bavaria, nephew of the Count Palatine,
in December 1539. (fn. 79) Prince Edward was at the
castle at the time of Henry's death. The news of
this event was for a time kept secret from the public,
but the Earl of Hertford (afterwards Duke of
Somerset) and Sir Anthony Browne hastened to
Hertford, took Prince Edward secretly to Enfield, and
there told him and the Princess Elizabeth of the
prince's accession to the throne. (fn. 80)

In 1563, 1581 and 1592 the law courts were
removed to Hertford Castle owing to the Plague in
London. (fn. 81) Queen Elizabeth stayed at Hertford on
several occasions, (fn. 82) but James I does not seem to have
been there, and in the next reign the castle ceased to
be a royal one, being included with the manor in the
grant to the Earl of Salisbury (see above).

Down to the end of the 12th century the constableship of the castle seems to have been held by the
sheriff of the county. The grant to Peter de Valognes,
sheriff under William I, of the 'lordship of Hertford'
was evidently considered later to include the constableship, for the enrolment of the charter among the
'cartae antiquae' is headed 'Charter of Robert
Fitz Walter,' (fn. 84) and it was evidently one of the charters
which Robert Fitz Walter (who married Gunnora, the
Valognes heir) showed to the king in order to prove
his right to the constableship. (fn. 85) There is evidence
that Geoffrey Fitz Peter, who was sheriff from 1190
to 1192, held the constableship, (fn. 86) and he continued
to hold it until August 1202, when he received a
mandate to deliver the castle to Robert Fitz Walter,
who apparently claimed it in right of his wife. (fn. 87)
In the same year, however, Richard de Montfitchet
made fine with the king for the custody of the county
and of the castle of Hertford. (fn. 88) In 1212 John Fitz
Hugh was custodian and in August of that year was
ordered to give up the custody to John de Bassingbourn, leaving behind the wines and other supplies
bought with the king's money. (fn. 89) During the
temporary peace following the signing of Magna
Carta Robert Fitz Walter, who had been serving as
marshal of the barons' army, obtained another grant
of the custody in succession to John de Bassingbourn. (fn. 90)
This was in June 1215, but in August of the same
year war broke out again, and Robert Fitz Walter
went over to France to offer the crown to Louis.
The castle had meanwhile been taken by the barons,
who held it until 1216 (see above). After its surrender
to the king, John appointed Walter de Godarvile, a
follower of Falkes de Breauté, governor, (fn. 91) and he was
holding it during the siege by Louis. (fn. 92) Whilst it was
in Louis' hands Robert Fitz Walter put in a claim to
the custody which he claimed by 'ancient right,' but
Louis, according to the chronicler, refused on the
somewhat ungenerous plea that Englishmen who had
been traitors to their own king were not worthy of
any office of importance. (fn. 93)

During the next reign a constant succession appears
in the appointment of constables. Before December
1223 the custody had been held by Falkes de Breauté;
in that month it was granted to William de Eynesford. (fn. 94) On 7 January 1224 it was granted to Stephen
de Segrave, (fn. 95) on 22 January of the same year to
Richard de Argentein, the sheriff, (fn. 96) who held it until
August 1228. (fn. 97) At the latter date it was granted to
Raymond de Burgh, before 23 January 1230 to
William de Culworth, on that date to Raymond de
Burgh again, (fn. 98) on 3 July 1230 to William de
Culworth, the sheriff, (fn. 99) and on 25 September 1230 to
John de Burgh, (fn. 100) from whom apparently it passed to
Hugh de Burgh, for he in 1232 was ordered to
deliver it to Stephen de Segrave. (fn. 101) In May 1234 it
was held by Robert Passelewe, who was then superseded by William de Culworth, (fn. 102) sheriff in that year,
and he held it until the appointment of the next
sheriff, Peter de Tany, in May 1236. (fn. 103) In 1242
Richard de Montfitchet was appointed sheriff and
custodian of the castle, (fn. 104) holding the office until 1246. (fn. 105)
In 1247 the king's brother William de Valence had
a grant of the custody of the castle and mills, (fn. 106) to
which the vill was added a few days later (fn. 107); this was
converted into a life grant in 1249. (fn. 108) From this
date the castle descended with the vill or manor (q.v.).

MANORS

Limesy Fee (Priory Manor)

The LIMESY FEE afterwards the
PRIORY MANOR was the property
of Hertford Priory. In 1086 Ralph
de Limesy was holding lands in Hertfordshire and
elsewhere which had been held by Earl Harold, and
among these apparently was an estate at Hertford
appurtenant to the manor of Hatfield Broadoak in
Essex. (fn. 109) Ralph de Limesy
founded the priory of St. Mary
of Hertford as a cell to St.
Albans and endowed it with
a hide of land at Hertford
and a church which he had
built there. (fn. 110) The place where
the friary stood was known as
Limesy Fee and was outside
the area and jurisdiction of
the borough. (fn. 111)

Denny. Gules a saltire argent between twelve crosses formy or.

After the Dissolution the
manor and site of the priory
were granted to Anthony
Denny in February 1537–8. (fn. 112) They descended in
the Denny family (fn. 113) until 1587, when Edward Denny
and Margaret his wife conveyed them to Henry
Colthurst. (fn. 114) They seem to have been conveyed to
Martin Trott probably about 1590. (fn. 115) Trott sold
them to Richard Willis in 1617, (fn. 116) who died seised in
1625, (fn. 117) leaving a son Thomas
underage. (fn. 118) In 1637 Thomas
Willis sold the manor to John
Harrison of London, (fn. 119) and it
descended with Balls Park in
Little Amwell (q.v.) until
the latter was sold to Sir
G. F. Faudel-Phillips, bart.
Hertford Priory is still in
the possession of Marquess
Townshend. In 1624 there
are mentioned as appurtenant
to this manor the water-mill
called Lyckermill or Dickermill and the close called 'the
churchyard of St. John the Evangelist or the Mill
Close.' (fn. 120)

Townshend. Azure a cheveron ermine between three scallops argent.

Bourne Fee

The origin of the BOURNE FEE in Hertford is
probably to be found in the
property of Geoffrey de Bech,
who in 1086 had three houses
there. (fn. 121) Like the manors of
Eastwick (in Braughing Hundred) and Bengeo this probably came to Baldwin de Clare,
lord of Bourne, and through
his daughter Emma to the
Wakes. Later we find the
court of the honour of Bourne
(Broune, Brunne) being held
at Hertford, to which the
neighbouring tenants of the
Wakes owed suit. (fn. 122)

Wake. Or two bars gules with three roundels gules in the chief.

Another court held at Hertford was the court of
the HONOUR OF MANDEVILLE. In 1086
Geoffrey de Mandeville had property at Hertford
which had been held by Asgar the Staller, and he
had also seven houses which rendered no dues except
geld. (fn. 123) Humphrey de Bohun, Earl of Hereford and
Essex, successor of Geoffrey de Mandeville, was presented in the reign of Edward I for withdrawing his
suit from the borough. (fn. 124) In the 13th century and
later one of the courts of the honour (called the court
of knights) (fn. 125) was held at Hertford, (fn. 126) and to this we
find a Middlesex tenant of the earl's doing suit in
1297. (fn. 127)

Valognes Fee

The VALOGNES FEE in Hertford can also be
traced back to 1086, when Peter de Valognes (who
was farming the borough) held two churches and a
house which he had bought of Ulwi of Hatfield. (fn. 128)
Roger de Valognes, son of Peter, received a grant of
the mills of Hertford (see above) and 'the service of
Alban de Hairon and all other lands and tenements
as his father held them.' (fn. 129) In the reign of Edward I
Christine de Maune, one of the Valognes heirs, was
presented for withdrawing her suit at the borough
court. (fn. 130) The Valognes family held the manor of
Hertingfordbury which in
1086 had been held by Ralph
Baniard, and it is probable
that Ralph Baniard's Domesday holding of two houses in
Hertford also came to them
with that manor. In the
13th century the advowson of
the hospital of St. Mary Magdalene is found descending
with the manor of Hertingfordbury, (fn. 131) and it seems probable that the Valognes' lands
in Hertfordshire were given
to that monastery. The hospital of St. Mary
Magdalene was taken over by the Crossed Friars of the
order of Holy Trinity, (fn. 132) and after the Dissolution the
messuage called 'Le Trinitie' was granted to Anthony
Denny. (fn. 133) In 1577 Edward Denny alienated to John
Spurling the close of pasture called Trinity Close on
which Trinity House stood, 8 acres of arable land
adjoining, 'Friers Grove' containing 8 acres and
another grove of 6 acres. (fn. 134)

Mandeville. Quarterly or and gules.

Bohun. Azure a bend or cotised argent between six lions or.

Valognes. Paly wavy argent and gules.

CHURCHES

St. Andrew

The church of ST. ANDREW was
erected on the site of the former
church in 1869 (fn. 135); it consists of an
apsidal chancel, nave with aisles, north and south
transepts and west tower. It is built of flint with
stone dressings in the style of the early 14th century.

The north doorway is part of the old church, and
is of late 15th-century date, with moulded arch
under a square head, and with quatrefoils in the
spandrels; the labels have stops carved with angels
holding shields.' On the west side of the doorway
are the remains of a stoup.

Under the communion table in the north chapel
is an old stone altar slab, discovered on the site of the
former church of St. Mary the Great in 1888; the
slab measures 3 ft. 5 in. by 2 ft. 2 in. and is about
5 in. thick. It bears five incised crosses, and in the
centre is a rectangular cavity about 3 in. by 2 in.
and 1½ in. deep, probably to contain relics. The
communion table in the chapel has twisted legs and
may be late 17th-century work.

On the nave floor is a brass inscription to Bridget
Whitgifte, wife of Robert Collingwood, one of the
sons of Sir Cuthbert Collingwood, kt., 1610. There
is a floor slab to Arthur Sparke, 1665, with arms.

Plan of St. John's Church, Hertford

There is a ring of eight bells: the first, second
and fourth of 1782, the fifth and eighth of 1797,
and the sixth and seventh of 1793, are all by John
Briant of Hertford; the third is by Mears &
Stainbank, 1876.

There is an early Spanish chalice and a paten given
by Canon Wigram in 1879, and an 18th-century
chalice and paten given by Mr. Charles Butler in 1880.

All Saints

The church of ALL SAINTS was erected in
1895 on the site of the former church, which
was burnt down in 1891; it consists of chancel,
north organ chamber and vestry, south chapel, nave
with aisles, north transept and west tower. It is
built of squared Runcorn sandstone and has a tiled
roof.

The old church consisted of chancel, nave, north
and south aisles, north and south transepts, and west
tower. (fn. 136) The only fittings which escaped destruction
were two brasses, now placed in the modern church.
In the north transept are the feet only of a man's
figure and inscription in Norman French to John
Hunger, master cook to Katherine wife of Henry V,
1435; the other is an inscription only to Thomas
Boole, 1456.

The bells were ten in number, the first and second
by John Briant of Hertford, 1791, and the remaining
eight by Pack & Chapman, 1771. They have been
recast by Mears & Stainbank.

The communion plate consists of flagon, dated
1680; cup and cover paten, 1696; paten, 1725;
large paten without hall mark; two chalices, 1874,
and two modern spoons.

Christ Church

CHRIST CHURCH, in Port Vale, was built in
1868 by Mr. Abel Smith. It is a cruciform building of stone, in 13th-century style, consisting of
chancel, nave of three bays, aisles and transepts, south
porch and west bell turret. The parish was created
in 1869. (fn. 137) The living is a vicarage, and the patron
is Mr. Abel H. Smith.

St. Mary

Of the church of ST. MARY very few records
have survived. In 1428 there were less than ten
inhabitants in the parish. (fn. 138) The church (fn. 139) adjoined
the Old Cross; it appears to have fallen into ruins
in the 16th century. (fn. 140) During the excavations for
the public library in 1888 many of the old stones
were found (fn. 141); some of these were used in the construction of a memorial fountain near the library,
and consist of the greater part of a window of clunch
of 13th-century date. The arch is moulded, and the
jambs are shafted, with moulded capitals and bases.
Both arch and jambs are enriched with the dog-tooth
ornament. Other fragments are preserved in the
library.

A messuage called St. Mary Churchyard was
included in the grant of the manor to the Earl of
Salisbury in 1630. (fn. 142)

The other parish churches originally in Hertford,
namely, St. John the Evangelist (fn. 143) and St. Nicholas,
have disappeared. ST. JOHN'S was built before the
beginning of the 13th century, (fn. 144) and seems to have
been pulled down before 1624, when the churchyard
formed the mill close of Lyckermill. (fn. 145) It is said to
have been rebuilt by Thomas Willis, the patron, in
1629, (fn. 146) and to have been demolished about fifty years
later, after the parish was united to All Saints. (fn. 147)
The church stood at the east end of the town, to the
north of the present buildings of Christ's Hospital,
upon the site now occupied (1912) by the timber
yard of Messrs. Ewen & Tomlinson. The foundations (which have since been covered in) were
excavated during the course of building operations in
1893, and reveal the ground plans both of the
original church and of the smaller church erected
upon its site in the 17th century. The former was
a large cruciform building, having an aisleless nave
measuring internally about 87 ft. by 29 ft., north and
south transepts, each 30 ft. 4 in. by 20 ft., and a
chancel 24 ft. in width, the eastern foundations of
which cannot now be traced. At the angle formed
by the west wall of the south transept with the south
wall of the nave are signs of the existence of a stairturret. The thickness of the walls, about 4 ft.,
indicate that the remains are at least as early as the
12th century. Several tiles of the 13th and 14th
centuries were found on the site. One of these, of
the later date, has a vigorously drawn hart upon it.

St. Nicholas

The church of ST. NICHOLAS existed in 1291,
when the Prior of Wilford (Kent) had a pension of
£1 in it. (fn. 148) The advowson of the rectory belonged
to the alien priory of Wilford, (fn. 149) and hence came to
the Crown. (fn. 150) St. Nicholas was parochial, but the
extent of the parish is unknown. In 1428 it had
less than ten inhabitants (householders). (fn. 151) In 1487
there is a will of John Lombard of London, by
which he wished to be buried in the parish church
of St. Nicholas, Hertford. (fn. 152) The living had been
united to that of St. Andrew by 1535, (fn. 153) so that
probably the church was then already disused. (fn. 154) The
building is described by Chauncy as standing 'near
St. Nicholas Street, at the west end of Back Street,
towards the mills in the back yard to the Maidenhead Inn, where the ruins of the church are yet to
be seen.' (fn. 155) Moulded stones are occasionally found
on the north side of Maidenhead Street where the
church stood.

Tile From St. John's Church Hertford

In the grant of the manor to the Earl of Salisbury
in 1630 the ruined and decayed church with the
cemetery called St. Nicholas is mentioned. (fn. 156)

ADVOWSONS

St. Andrew's Church is first
mentioned by name in 1208, when
King John granted it to Master
Adam of Essex, his clerk, for life. (fn. 157) The grant
mentions a perpetual vicarage, which never reappears. (fn. 158)
The advowson of the rectory descended with the
manor until the alienation of the latter to the Earl
of Salisbury. It still belongs to the Crown in right
of the duchy of Lancaster. (fn. 159)

The church of All Saints was probably one of
those held by Peter de Valognes in 1086, (fn. 160) for Robert
de Valognes gave it to Waltham Abbey. (fn. 161) The gift
was confirmed by Richard I in December 1189,
when the invocation is first mentioned. (fn. 162) The church
was confirmed to the abbey in 1227, (fn. 163) and a vicarage
ordained at the beginning of the 13th century. (fn. 164)
The convent granted two turns of the presentation
to Richard Heyham just before the Dissolution, (fn. 165)
after which the king gave the rectory and advowson
of the vicarage to Thomas Knighton. (fn. 166) Knighton's
widow brought it to John Alleyn, who held it in
1545, (fn. 167) and on her death in 1551 it descended to
her nephew, Andrew Baynton. (fn. 168) His heir Anne (fn. 169)
seems to have married William Anstee, with whom
she conveyed it to Richard Roberts in 1580, (fn. 170) possibly
in trust for Christopher Aleyn, who died seised in
1588, and whose heir, Edmund Aleyn, (fn. 171) transferred
it to Stephen Soame in 1589. (fn. 172) Sir William Soame,
son of Stephen, conveyed the rectory in 1626 to
certain feoffees, (fn. 173) who may have been trustees for
Gabriel Barber, who bought the advowson for the
purpose of uniting the living with that of St. John's
and endowing it with the impropriate tithes. The
king was to be patron of All Saints, presenting
alternately with the patron of St. John's. (fn. 174) The
arrangement was annulled by the House of Lords
before 1649, the patronage being then claimed by
the heirs of Mr. Barber (fn. 175); but it must have been
re-asserted, perhaps at the Restoration. (fn. 176) The alternate
presentations from 1709 to the present day have
been made by the Crown. (fn. 177)

A Fraternity of St. John celebrated in the church
of All Saints, and had a chaplain there in 1495. (fn. 178)
After the dissolution of the brotherhood its property
passed to the Crown. In 1575 a 'ruinous house' in
the north of All Saints' churchyard, which had been
given for an obit and lamp, and the site of another
house called the Guildhall or church house were
granted to John Herbert and Andrew Palmer. (fn. 179)

Ralph de Limesy founded the priory of Hertford
and endowed it with the church which he had built
there. (fn. 180) It seems probable that this was the church
of St. John, which was situated on the priory estate
to the north of Christ's Hospital. (fn. 181) The church of
St. John belonged to the monks at the beginning of
the 13th century, when a vicarage was endowed. (fn. 182)
It seems to be the church which served the parish
known as the 'parochia de Monachorum' or Monkenchurch (fn. 183) or the parish of the priory, (fn. 184) and to be the
parish church within the priory mentioned in 1497. (fn. 185)
After the Dissolution the rectory and advowson of the
vicarage of the church of St. John the Evangelist were
granted in 1538 to Antony Denny (fn. 186) and descended
with the priory manor (q.v.).

In 1640 the vicarage was united to that of All
Saints, (fn. 187) and it was proposed by Sir John Harrison
to endow it with the impropriate tithes. Sir John
Harrison was to have alternate presentation with the
king. (fn. 188) Apparently the endowment did not stand,
for the rectory appears to have descended with the
advowson. (fn. 189) This with the priory manor is now in
possession of Marquess Townshend.

CHARITIES

The poor's estate comprises the
charities of John Browne, Alderman
Card, the King's Mead, Standon
Green End Farm, the Herbage Money, and the
charity of Ann Dimsdale, which were formerly under
the administration of trustees for the poor created
under a decree of commissioners for charitable uses
13 September 1708.

In 1909 the gross income amounted to £290, or
thereabouts, of which £70 was derived from the rent
of 101 acres known as the Green End Farm, Standon,
co. Herts., £112 from rent of the post office, £23
from the King's Mead, and £83 10s. from other
land. A fixed payment of £1 a year is also received
from Balls Park and £2 1s. 10d. from the Lea Conservancy Board.

In 1889 the 'Talbot Arms' was sold for £1,000,
and part of the Dimsdale Arms Inn for £300, and
the proceeds invested in stock with the official trustees,
which was subsequently sold out for effecting improvements in the property and towards the cost of building
the post office. The official trustees now (1910)
hold £460 16s. 3d. consols, which is accumulating
for the purpose of replacing a sum of £315 3s. 11d.
consols, also £305 17s. 5d. consols for the replacement of £1,289 11s. 5d. consols by annual instalments of £29, and £21 5s. 5d. consols to replace
£74 11s. 7d. consols by annual instalments of £4 5s.
In addition to these repayments a sum of £42 9s.
was in 1909 applied towards the repayment of a loan
from a building society, and a sum of £172 19s. 6d.
was apportioned out of the income of the charity for
the benefit of the poor, as follows: £76 16s. for
the poor of St. John's, £55 5s. 6d. for St. Andrew's,
£19 15s. for All Saints, and £21 3s. for the district
of Brickendon.

Residence for a Wesleyan minister, comprised in
deed 7 December 1896. In 1908, with the sanction
of the Charity Commissioners, the residence was
sold for £510, and the balance, after payment of
liabilities, was invested in £104 2s. 3d. consols with
the official trustees.

Educational Charities.

The Greencoat school was founded in 1760 by
Gabriel Newton, including the gifts of George
Butteris, Lady Grimstone, Mrs. Skinner, and Benjamin
Cherry. (fn. 191) This school was afterwards merged with
the Cowper Testimonial School.

By will of 1649 Mary Pettyt, widow, gave two
tenements near Cowbridge for as many poor widows.
These were exchanged in 1824 for other houses in
St. Andrew's Street occupied by eight poor widows
nominated by the churchwardens of St. Andrew's.

The charity of Sir John Harrison, kt., will, 1669,
augmented by his son, Richard Harrison, consists of
certain fee-farm rents purchased with a sum of
£108 13s. 4d. and conveyed by deed 14 March 1676.
The properties charged having been subdivided,
difficulties arose in obtaining payment of the several
charges, and a sum of £5 only appears to be now
received which is regularly distributed in bread
among the poor of All Saints and St. John's. The
official trustees also hold a sum of £17 10s. consols,
producing 8s. 8d. yearly, arising from investment of
balance of arrears of fee-farm rent of £2 11s. 2d.
charged on the rectory and manor of Abbots Langley.

In 1625 Roger Daniel by his will (among other
bequests) devised an annuity of £10, of which £5
was payable for a monthly sermon, £4 for fourteen
poorest householders of All Saints and six of the parish
of St. Andrew, 12s. for bread and drink for poor
prisoners in the 'Maine Gaol,' and 8s. for a breakfast
for the administering trustees. The annuity of £10
is duly received from the Merchant Taylors' Company,
London—£5 is paid to the vicar for a monthly
lecture, £4 for twenty poor widows, the 12s. for
prisoners is paid into the Post Office Savings Bank,
the amount of which exceeds £20, and the 8s. breakfast money is carried to the general church account.

Endowments for organist.

—In 1698 Mrs. Elizabeth
Cranmer, by will, left £200, which was laid out
in the purchase of a rent-charge of £8 issuing out of
land at Springfield near Chelmsford.

In 1724 Robert Dimsdale, M.D., by his will,
devised a rent-charge of £15 issuing out of a house in
the market-place, Hertford. The annuities are duly
paid to the organist, who also receives under the will
of Miss Dionisia Battell, 1730, the sum of £30 a
year, the rent of a house in Fore Street, Hertford,
formerly known as the 'Blue Anchor.'

Thomas Noble, by his will dated 14 August 1662,
devised a messuage in the parish of All Saints, at a
place there called Bayley Hall Style, for the use of
the poor. These premises are situated in Castle
Street, producing £65 a year or thereabouts, which
together with a rent-charge of £15 a year issuing out
of an estate at Bennington derived under the will of
the same donor is distributed among the poor of All
Saints.

In 1909 a sum of £19 15s. was likewise applied
for the benefit of the poor of All Saints in respect of
the poor's estate for the borough.

In 1817 Charles Saunders by will bequeathed £500
consols, the dividends to be distributed in bread.

In 1844 Thomas Cheek by will bequeathed £200
consols, the dividends to be distributed in bread
on Christmas Eve to the poor of All Saints and
St. Andrew's, or either of them.

In 1872 John Davies, M.D., by will proved at
London, left £53 17s. 6d. consols, the dividends to
be applied for any charitable purpose the trustees
should think fit. The annual dividends, amounting
together to £18 16s. 8d., are distributed by the vicar
and churchwardens chiefly in bread.

In 1854 six almshouses in All Saints parish were
built by Marquess Townshend for poor widows and
others.

In 1875 Miss Hannah Smith, by will, bequeathed
a legacy represented by £275 10s. 3d. consols, the
annual dividends amounting to £6 17s. 8d.—subject
to repair of tomb in cemetery for sixty years after
death of testatrix—in augmentation of the income of
Herts. County Infirmary, at the expiration of the
term the stock to be transferred to that institution.

In 1885 George Ringrose, by will, left a sum of
money, now represented by £187 11s. consols, the
annual dividends of £4 13s. 4d. to be distributed in
coals, bread, or money to the poor.

In 1897 Henry Rayment, by will proved at
London, left a sum of money, represented by
£176 18s. 11d. consols, the annual dividends,
amounting to £4 8s. 4d, to be divided on 8 February
among three poor widows.

The several sums of stock are held by the official
trustees.

Footnotes

1. The lordship evidently included the
borough, which was farmed by Peter de
Valognes in 1086 (V.C.H. Herts. i, 300).

34. The mills were often leased separately from the manor (see Duchy of
Lanc. Misc. Bks. xvii, fol. 39 [pt. iii];
xviii, fol. 91; xxi, fol. 175, 174 d., 171,
171 d.; xxiv, fol. 60, &c.). In the first
of these grants (1416) the mills are called
the Chastell Mills, in the last (1634)
they are described as grain mills. The
park was also leased separately (see Cal.
S.P. Dom. 1603–10, p. 164; Cussans,
op. cit. 52).

35. Turnor, op. cit. 62. This grant
does not seem to be among the patents
of the year.

79. Ibid. xiv, 696–7. There is a letter
of hers dated there in 1536 (ibid. xi, 526).

80. P. Fraser Tytler, England under
reigns of Edward VI and Mary (1839), i,
16. See also Burnet, Hist. of Reformation
(1865), ii, 37, where it is shown from
Edward's Diary that he was at Hertford,
not Hatfield.

88. Rot. de Oblatis et Fin. (Rec. Com.),
93. It is uncertain whether this was
before or after August, for it is dated
'terminum infra annum (2 John)' only.

89. Rot. Lit. Pat. (Rec. Com.), i, 94b.
For wine carried to Hertford in 1226 see
Rot. Lit. Claus. (Rec. Com.), ii, 117b.
The first mandate to John Fitz Hugh of
21 August was followed by another one
of 29 August, threatening him with the
imputation of bad faith if he did not at
once surrender the castle (Rot. Lit. Pat.
[Rec. Com.], i, 95).

108. Ibid. 46. A similar grant was made
in 1251 (Cal. Chart. R. 1226–57, p. 351).

109. V.C.H. Essex, i, 429; see V.C.H.
Herts. i, 299. The only possessions in
Hertford belonging to Harold mentioned
under Hertford in the Domesday Survey
are eighteen burgesses who in 1086
belonged to King William. This can
scarcely be the estate above mentioned,
which appears not to be noticed in the
Survey (except under Essex), but is
perhaps included in Ralph de Limesy's
manor of Amwell. The close connexion
between the two estates (Hertford and
Amwell) is shown by the style of the
priory manor in 1637, 'the manor of the
priory of Hertford and now or late called
the manor of Amwell or the fee of
Amwell' (Close, 13 Chas. I, pt. xxxviii,
no. 17).

115. By fine of 1590 (Trin. 32 Eliz.) Colthurst conveyed the rectory of St. John's
to Trott, but the manor is not mentioned.
Chauncy says that Martin Trott held a
court in 1577, which is difficult to explain
unless he was a mortgagee. He was in
possession in November 1590 (see Duchy
of Lanc. Dec. and Ord. xxi, 191).

120. Ct. of Wards, Feod. Surv. no. 17.
For the removal of Dickermill to lower
ground in order to get enough water after
the position of the Queen's mills had
been altered see Duchy of Lanc. Dec.
and Ord. xxi, 191.

139. Chauncy (p. 261) calls this church
St. Mary the Great, and other historians
have followed his example and have called
the priory church St. Mary the Less.
There seems to be no documentary
evidence to support this. The priory was
certainly known as St. Mary Monachorum
(Cal. Pat. 1381–5, p. 207), and there was
a parish church of St. Mary Minor (see
references to the parish of St. Mary Minor
on pp. 495b, 500a). But the parish church
belonging to the priory seems to have been
St. John the Evangelist (see below). It
seems most probable from the present
amount of evidence that the church of
St. Mary (Feud. Aids, ii, 461) or St. Mary
the Virgin (Valor Eccl. [Rec. Com.], iv,
277) was sometimes called St. Mary
Minor to distinguish it from the priory
church and was this church near the Old
Cross.

140. It had been annexed to St. Andrew's
before 1535 (Valor Eccl. [Rec. Com.], iv,
277).

146. Chauncy, op. cit. 257. This second
church is supposed to be the small church
whose foundations have been found within
the area of the larger nave of the
earlier one (see Herts. Mercury, 2 Dec.
1893).

147. Turnor, op. cit. 247. Willis is said
to have dedicated his church in honour
of St. John the Baptist, but all the documents dealing with this later church refer
to it as St. John the Evangelist.

148. Pope Nich. Tax. (Rec. Com.), 37.
Possibly this was one of the churches
held by Peter de Valognes in 1086 and
was given by him or a successor to
Wilford.

185. Rentals and Surv. R. 277. Whether
there was another church attached to the
priory used by the monks themselves is
not quite certain, or whether the monks
used the parish church. By will of 1525
John Purfote desired to be buried in the
priory church (P.C.C. 1 Porch), but this
may only mean the church belonging to
the priory.